Durham County School in the Running for National Competition

 

Riverside High in Durham is North Carolina’s Best in State high school winner for the Verizon Foundation’s App Challenge.  This is the third time in the four years that the contest has been run that a team from Riverside has taken that prize.  Tim Velegol, the faculty advisor for the team said, “I think the chief advantage that Riverside students have had going for them (and I think they would agree) is being part of a rigorous course of study that starts their freshman year.  Their Introduction to Engineering Design course hammers home the engineering design process, with a heavy emphasis on defining the problem and brainstorming.”

One of the constraints that the Verizon Foundation stipulated is that the app be applicable to solving problems for their age group and community.  The team’s app, Dollar Savvy, aims to use gameplay to prepare teens for financial independence.  Click here  to see a video of the team explaining the app.

Riverside fielded two teams (the other developing a different app).  Both teams ranged from sophomores to seniors and there is nothing co-curricular about the effort – it is a fully independent undertaking.

Sophomore Emily Spero said, “I’m so proud of my team for making it this far!  The creativity, work ethic and ingenuity everyone displayed was inspiring and I am lucky to have been a part of it.  Now I just hope that we will make it far enough in the competition to actually develop our app, because I feel like it can actually make a difference in teens nationwide. Go Dollar Savvy!”

In addition to winning the national competition, the team also has a shot at the Fan Favorite Award.  To win they need to get more texts and tweets than the other 49 state winners.  The team that gets the most votes will receive a $15,000 prize, the opportunity to work with MIT experts to build its concept into a working app, and an all-expenses-paid trip to the TSA conference in Nashville, Tennessee in June 2016.  To vote for Dollar Savvy, text “DOLLARSAVVY1” to 22-333 or tweet “We won Best in State for North Carolina!  Now we’re up for the App Challenge Fan Favorite award. Text DOLLARSAVVY1 to 22-333 #VZAppChallenge”

 

North Carolina School Boards AssociationDurham County School in the Running for National Competition